SAN FRANCISCO — (BUSINESS WIRE) — May 7, 2014 —
Autodesk,
Inc. (NASDAQ:
ADSK), a leader in 3D design, engineering, and
entertainment software, today announced that it will offer schools in
the United States and Canada free access to its professional 3D design
software and creativity applications.

This represents the next step in the continued transformation of
Autodesk’s education business model in order to fulfill its mission of
helping students and educators imagine, design and create a better
world. Autodesk’s pledge is valued at over $460 million, and empowers
educators at more than 35,000 middle schools, high schools, and higher
education institutions in the United States and Canada.

“Advances in accessible 3D design and fabrication technology are
disrupting design, engineering and entertainment professions as we know
them. The rise in mobile and cloud technology also means that it is
possible to design anywhere, at any time. Nearly anyone with an idea can
turn concepts into reality overnight, and we believe that today’s
students will shape tomorrow’s industries,” said Tom Joseph, senior
director of education, Autodesk.

“This is the second pledge we have made in North America in less than
six months, and we are not stopping here. There is still work that lies
ahead of us as we join forces with governments, institutions, and
partners to prepare an industry-ready workforce around the world by
removing the barriers to software access,” Joseph added.

Autodesk’s 3D design software, creativity applications, and learning
resources are being used across the education continuum to advance
learning outcomes, including:

Building proficiency with young learners from middle schools and up to
support science, technology, engineering, digital arts, or mathematics
(STEAM) related subjects to solve real world challenges.

Imparting industry-relevant knowledge and 3D design skills to give
students a competitive edge to achieve their personal goals today, and
career success in the future.

Helping educators to inspire creativity and innovation through a
project-based curriculum and a multidisciplinary approach to
education; facilitating collaboration and hands-on problem-solving
skills that reflect today’s business realities.

“At RIT, we are grooming our students for successful careers in
industrial design, and teaching them to leverage advanced technologies
to address global design challenges is integral. Having free access to
advanced, professional design tools like
Autodesk
Fusion 360™ has empowered our students and taught them how to
navigate changes in a fast paced industry. The cloud component of the
product also teaches them how to collaborate with one another and
communicate their ideas with other disciplines, which are critical
skills that they will need when they graduate,” said Alex Lobos,
assistant professor of Industrial Design,
Rochester
Institute of Technology.

“We have seen firsthand how students have become more engaged in core
subjects like math and science when they can experiment, model and
animate in 3D with
Autodesk®
123D® Design and
Autodesk®
Maya®. The new focus of the national Common Core and Next
Generation Science Standards are based on getting our students both
college and career ready. By teaching them skills like 3D modeling and
3D animation using professional Autodesk products, we are giving both
students and educators a real advantage," said Kent Ganevsky, an
educator at
Theodore
Roosevelt Middle School and Design the Future program adopter.

Autodesk helps people imagine, design and create a better world.
Everyone—from design professionals, engineers and architects to digital
artists, students and hobbyists—uses Autodesk software to unlock their
creativity and solve important challenges. For more information visit
autodesk.com
or follow
@autodesk.

Autodesk, Fusion 360, 123D, and Maya are registered trademarks of
Autodesk, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries and/or affiliates in the USA
and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names or
trademarks belong to their respective holders. Autodesk reserves the
right to alter product and services offerings, and specifications and
pricing at any time without notice, and is not responsible for
typographical or graphical errors that may appear in this document.